French Laundry Tops Ranking of Best Restaurants in U.S.

The French Laundry in Yountville,
California, is the finest restaurant in the U.S., followed by
Gramercy Tavern and Le Bernardin in New York, according to a
survey by The Daily Meal.

The website editors, headed by the food writer Colman
Andrews, got together with 174 judges and came up with a
shortlist. They then voted, based on cuisine, region and factors
such as the level of formality and buzz and the prices.

“To be exceedingly fair, the ranking gives equal weight to
highbrow eateries like The French Laundry and less expensive
institutions like Shake Shack in New York,” the editors said in
an e-mailed release. “If it’s good food, it’s fair game.”

Like all lists, this one is subjective. The fact that 10 of
the first 13 establishments are in New York may raise a few
eyebrows. I wasn’t a voter and have no connection with the
website. (I interviewed Andrews once in 2010, along with El
Bulli’s chef, Ferran Adria, whose biography he wrote.)

Here are the 101 Best Restaurants in America, according to
The Daily Meal:

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Muse, the arts
and leisure section of Bloomberg News. He is U.K. and Ireland
chairman of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Opinions
expressed are his own.)